CONCORD, N.C. – This Sunday, Hendrick Motorsports will compete for the first time this season at the World’s Fastest Half Mile track.
And this weekend’s goal is no different than any other weekend’s— bring home the trophy.
Tune in to FOX at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 19, to catch all the fast action at Bristol Motor Speedway. But before you catch the green flag wave in Tennessee, here is what you need to know:
THIS WEEK’S PAINT SCHEMES: Kasey Kahne and the No. 5 team will be competing in the Great Clips Chevrolet SS for the second weekend in a row. Jeff Gordon will return to the No. 24 3M Chevrolet SS, Jimmie Johnson will once again drive the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS and Dale Earnhardt Jr. will pilot the No. 88 Mtn Dew DEWshine Chevrolet SS in the paint scheme’s debut.
QUALIFYING: Qualifying for Bristol Motor Speedway will take place tonight, April 17, at 4:30 p.m. on FOX Sports 1. Three practice sessions will be held throughout the weekend -- on April 17 at 12 p.m. and on April 18 at 8:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Those sessions can also be viewed on FOX Sports 1.
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT BRISTOL: In 62 Cup events at Bristol, Hendrick Motorsports has 10 wins, 11 pole positions, 49 top-five finishes and 90 top-10 finishes. Gordon is tied for first among active drivers with five wins at the track, while Kahne most recently won there for the organization in March 2013.
BRISTOL WINNER: Kahne drove the No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet SS to Victory Lane at Bristol Motor Speedway in the March 2013 Sprint Cup Series race. He started from the outside pole position and led 109 laps en route to his first victory at the 0.533-mile oval.
KAHNE AT BRISTOL: According to NASCAR loop data during the last 20 Sprint Cup Series races at Bristol, Kahne ranks first in the closers category by improving 25 positions in the last 10 percent of laps in each race. He also ranks fourth in fastest laps run (460), fourth in green-flag passes (1,005), seventh in laps led (512) and 10th in quality passes (563).
TV ANALYST: On Saturday, Gordon will join the FOX Sports 1 broadcast of the XFINITY Series race as an analyst – his second of three appearances this year following his debut last week at Texas. The four-time Cup champion also is scheduled to join the FOX Sports 1 broadcast booth for the Talladega Superspeedway event on May 2.
GRAND MARSHALS: Gordon’s children, Ella and Leo, have been named the grand marshals for Sunday’s race to help commemorate Gordon's final full-time Sprint Cup Series season.
GORDON AT BRISTOL: The 43-year old driver is tied for most wins among active drivers, while he is the active leader in pole positions, top-five finishes, top-10 finishes, laps led and average starting position at the high-banked short track.
JOHNSON AT BRISTOL: For this weekend’s event, crew chief Chad Knaus has selected chassis No. 48-806, which was last raced at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last fall. The backup car is 48-749, which last raced in Martinsville in the spring of 2014.
EARNHARDT AT BRISTOL: In 92 Cup starts on short tracks that are under one mile in length, Earnhardt has recorded five wins, one pole positions, 28 top-five finishes and 44 top-10 finishes. He has the third-best average finish among all drivers in the last 20 Cup races at Bristol. Earnhardt, who recorded 10 top-10s during that timeframe, has an average finish of 11.9.